Sunday, May 8, 2011

HRD Korea selected as first place winner of 2011 UN Public Service Award

The Employment Permit System (EPS) run by the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRD Korea) will win the United Nations Public Service Award (UNPSA), the most prestigious international award in public service.

Korea's EPS was recognized for its innovation in enhancing transparency and preventing corruption in public service related to the introduction of foreign workers.

Winning the award will raise Korea's standing on the world stage by allowing its advanced migrant worker policy, represented by EPS, to be known widely.

The UNPSA ceremony will be held on the UN Public Service Day (Jun. 23) in Tanzania, Africa.

HRD Korea (president Yu Jae-soub) was selected as the UNPSA first-place winner under the category "preventing and combating corruption in the public service" on April 30.

It was acknowledged for its great contributions towards reducing illegal stay of foreigners, infringement of human rights and irregularities that might arise in selecting and introducing foreign workers, by operating EPS in a transparent and fair manner.

EPS was introduced in August 2004 in order to solve problems with the existing industrial trainee system and effectively help SMEs reduce labor shortages. By the end of February 2011, 278,815 foreign workers (E-9 visa) had entered Korea under this system.

MOEL and HRD Korea have made efforts to ensure the successful establishment of EPS. They have administered Korean language proficiency tests fairly, managed the roaster of foreign job-seekers transparently, concluded labor contracts systematically and supported the entry and stay of foreigners.

When asked how he felt about winning the award, Yu Jae-soub, president of HRD Korea, said, "By winning the UNPSA, the Employment Permit System will gain recognition as an excellent model of foreign workforce policy and spread all over the world, and thus greatly contribute to Korea's international standing."

He also said, "We will continue our efforts to make the system more convenient to use and its operation more transparent so as to give more help to both foreign workers and domestic companies."

The UN Public Service Award, established in 2003, is the most prestigious award in public service. Every year excellent policies are selected for the award in each of the five regions in five categories - preventing and combating corruption in the public service, improving the delivery of public services, fostering participation in policy-making decisions through innovative mechanisms, advancing knowledge management in government and promoting gender-responsive delivery of public services.

This year's UNPSA ceremony will be held on the UN Public Service Day (Jun. 23) in Tanzania, Africa.

HRD Korea will introduce Korea's Employment Permit System as a good policy example to the international community during the ceremony.Link:http://www.korea.net/news.do?mode=detail&guid=54905